Keeping Secrets
by amandajbruce
Summary: In which Oliver and Lilly discuss Miley not speaking to her. It takes place during the first episode "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret"


A/N: This is a rewrite of another story that was on my now defunct laptop. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I kind of feel like there is something missing, and I feel like they're a little out of character, but I still like the idea of Oliver and Lilly discussing her fight with Miley without him even knowing what Lilly did.

Keeping Secrets

"What do you want, Oliver?" Lilly Truscott spoke into her phone without bothering to see who it was.

"What are you, psychic?" The voice of Oliver Oken came through the line, just like Lilly knew it would.

"No. I saw you pick up the phone when I walked by the kitchen window, you doughnut." The pretty blond walked back over to her kitchen sink and waved. She could see into the Okens kitchen both of their open windows.

"Right. How many times do I have to tell you that I am not a doughnut? And you aren't the only person I call!" Lilly could see that her friend was doing his best to look annoyed from the building away.

"You still haven't proven me wrong."

"Ha. Ha. Always the charmer. I was only calling you to see if you wanted to go down to the beach. Todd called and said the waves are awesome!" That was Oliver. Anytime she insulted him, he just bounced right back.

"Maybe later."

"What? The great sets don't last forever!"

"Wait, shouldn't you be grounded? Didn't you get in trouble last night for sneaking into the dressing room?"

"Nah, just got a speech about stalking and stuff from my mom, but she decided to let it go this time. So… you want to go?"

"Can't. I'm going over to Miley's. I have to apologize to her." Lilly was holding this conversation with Oliver as she put the plates and glasses from breakfast into the dishwasher.

"What did you do?" Oliver's voice was more taunting than really curious.

"It's not important. I just said something stupid and now she isn't talking to me." Lilly tried to make her voice nonchalant, but Oliver always knew when something was wrong. Before he could question her any further, she said, "so, I'll talk to you later," and hung up her phone. Not even thirty seconds later, Oliver crossed the patch of grass between their houses and walked in through the back door.

"I always forget to lock that," Lilly mumbled to herself.

"How did you and Miley get into a fight already? When did you even talk? Wait, she isn't mad because we went to the concert without her, is she? She's the one who said she couldn't go."

Lilly's eyes widened at Oliver's questions.

"Well, when we snuck into the dressing room, I called her, and I went to her house after." Lilly took a deep breath. Good. No giggling. She needed to change the subject before she was forced to lie to Oliver. "By the way, I am sorry I ditched you, but at least you didn't get into too much trouble. How's your arm?"

Oliver lifted up his left sleeve to reveal a white bandage wrapped around his forearm.

"I didn't break anything, just lost some skin. And, I managed to keep all of the blood away from my souvenir towel." He smiled at the memory of Hannah Montana throwing her very own hand towel at him right before he fell from the dressing room window. "I'm trying to decide whether I should frame it or keep it with me at all times."

"What if you get mugged?" Lilly deadpanned.

"Don't even joke." Oliver's voice was deadly serious, but he sensed the girl was just trying to keep him from asking about her fight with Miley. He followed her to the living room where she grabbed her sneakers and sat on the couch to put them on.

On the table sat a thin scarf the color of butterscotch pudding, and Oliver temporarily forgot about the question he was about to ask.

"Why do you have the Hannah scarf just sitting there? Anybody could walk up and take it! You should put it somewhere safe!" His eyes were as big as they could get and he was staring at it in awe. Lilly just grabbed it and shoved it into her school bag.

"There, now it's safe."

"What? You just…"

"Miley's not talking to me, remember? More important than a scarf." Lilly cut him off and went back to tying her shoelaces.

"So, what did you and Miley do last night then while my mom was lecturing me on the time you can get for breaking and entering?" Oliver grabbed a peppermint from the coffee table and twisted the plastic wrapper in his hand while waiting for Lilly to respond.

Darn it! She forgot she was supposed to be avoiding the topic. Now, she had a vision of Miley showing her a secret closet, one that she was never supposed to tell Oliver about.

"Just girl stuff, you know, clothes and make-up." Lilly could feel a giggle coming on, but she managed to swallow it.

"So, what happened? Did she say you couldn't borrow her push-up bra?" Oliver stretched out next to her and reveled in the sarcasm. Lilly gave him what Oliver liked to call her "mom look." It was the same look Mrs. Truscott gave the two of them when they tried to bake his little brother a birthday cake and almost blew up the oven. It was annoyed, not really angry, and even a little amused.

"First of all, you and I are never talking about push-up bras. Second, I told you, I just did something stupid. Now Miley's being stupid." Oliver sat silently waiting for Lilly to elaborate.

Again, Lilly could see Miley in Hannah Montana's closet, but this time she was seated on a step with her back to Lilly. "The mistake was trusting you" echoed in her head. Lilly felt like she was still on that rotating platform, a little dizzy, and definitely overwhelmed. When one of your best friends tells you she is a teen pop sensation, you needed time to take it in. You needed someone to talk to about everything, but she promised she would not say anything to anyone. So, even though Oliver was her very first best friend, and she told him everything, , she would have to keep this to herself.

Lilly sighed and said, "I promised Miley I wouldn't tell anyone what we were talking about, even you. I just made a dumb mistake though, that's all." To her surprise, Oliver did not press her for information.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it? You aren't going to try to smother me with a pillow until I tell you or anything?" She looked at Oliver in disbelief. Who was this imposter, and what had he done with the boy who lived next door?

"Nah. You'd probably just break my nose or something. And, I know if you promised, then it's serious." Oliver shrugged.

"Thanks. This is surprisingly understanding of you." Lilly's eyes narrowed. "Have you been reading your mom's magazines again?" Oliver ignored her, so she continued, "And anyway, I don't think it's that big of a deal." That traitorous giggle bubbled to the surface again, and this time she could not hold it in.

"Have your parents figured out that you laugh when you lie yet? That could so end up being a serious problem for you." Oliver nodded emphatically.

"You're one to talk Sir Hiccups-a-lot." Lilly had finished tying her shoes and putting her knee pads on by this time. She saw her elbow pads and helmet near the front door, and she started to get up.

"Well, all I know is you and Miley better make up soon. Like you said, you and I aren't going to talk about bras." Oliver was trying to be serious now. He knew Lilly was not in the mood for jokes anymore, but he could not resist adding, "And, I don't have any make-up for you to use after gym."

"Lilly ignored the joke, saying "I've been trying to call her, but she won't answer. She's completely ignoring me." Strapping on her elbow pads, Lilly went on, "Miley and I have never fought before. Not like this."

"Just do what I do. Annoy her until she gives up." Oliver said this as though it were obvious.

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." Now, she clicked the strap of her helmet into place.

"It always works on you."

"That's different. We've been fighting since we were four. And it's never serious."

" I don't know. That time you threw a plate at me was serious."

"I was six."

Lilly led Oliver out the front door and locked it behind them. Her skateboard was on the porch, and Oliver grabbed it before she got to it. The two of them walked toward Oliver's house in silence until Oliver put the board on to the sidewalk for her.

"Do you think she'll talk to me?" Lilly asked him quietly.

"I don't know. I don't know what you did." Oliver tried his hand at making her laugh again, but she just gave him the "mom look" yet again. "You're her best friend. She can't ignore you forever."

"Thanks, Oliver. I'll see you later, okay?" She left him at his driveway and skated off.

As she made her way to Miley's neighborhood, a small knot of guilt twisted in her stomach. One friend was mad at her, and she had to keep a giant secret from the other. She did not like this one bit. She needed a best friend to talk to, and that is when she knew exactly what she would say to Miley. She pulled her phone from her pocket and tried to call again. No answer. As she pushed the "end" button, it rang.

"Hello?"

"You aren't off the hook, just so you know."

"Oliver?"

"When you're allowed to talk about the fight, I better be the first one you tell."

"Always." She smiled to herself as she turned on to Miley's block.


End file.
